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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479130">Devour Like Wolves and Tigers</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation'>Vex_ation</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Pocket Monsters SPECIAL | Pokemon Adventures</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Ancient China, Gen, Tang Dynasty, monster au</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-24</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 12:35:48</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,113</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25479130</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vex_ation/pseuds/Vex_ation</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Platinum is the emperor's daughter, fascinated with all the things that live on the other side of the palace walls. She longs to sink her teeth into the unknown, to feast on the fantastical and savor every bite. Her first taste of the outside, however, is two boys of the most peculiar sort: those with claws and fangs and eyes that glow in the dark like lanterns. Against her better judgement, she finds herself captivated by these bizarre strangers, wondering to herself all the while if she bit off more than she can chew.</p><p>DISCONTINUED</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Platinum Berlitz &amp; Diamond &amp; Pearl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>10</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Devour Like Wolves and Tigers</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Platinum could only wonder what lay behind the palace gates. For once in her life, she wanted to escape the lavish gardens and fancy banquets. She spent all of her time in the libraries, learning about the arts of conquest and imperial law, about trade routes and the treasures of far away lands. Not once had she ventured beyond the massive gate or seen the peasants on the streets of the city. She saw glimpses of traders and warlords, yes, but the common people spending their lives freely outside the palace walls were an enigma to her. Instead, she was left to wander the grounds, surrounded by beautiful flowers and gnarled, ancient trees older than time itself, their leaves upturned to the heavens to catch the sunlight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She bathed in the shade of the willows, surrounded by the fragile scent of orchids as she read and passed the days in sleepy luxury. All the books, riches, and food she could ever want were presented to her on a silver platter, but oftentimes she wondered just how the servants and chefs lived. She was but an emperor's daughter clothed in purple silk-- how did the others live? What sorts of mysteries did the peasants hold? What was it like to tend to a fire, raise an animal, build a house? </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She longed for this authentic experience, to feel things with her own hands and see with her own eyes. She longed to know the world beyond the gates, if only for a moment. Most of all, she wondered what these peasants were like, what strange and magical forms they took. For now, she could only wonder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Some nights, when she was unsure of herself, she would remind herself that there was more than what she could hope to see within the palace. Massive stone statues of legendary beasts dotted the gardens, phoenixes taking flight among the persimmons, foo dogs snarling amidst the plums, and fearsome dragons winding around each other covered in peach flowers. She would sit amongst the statues, feeling their divine protection blanket her like early morning fog, and observe, watching as the leaves glowed silver under the moon and as soft pink petals floated like ghosts above the water. The pool at the center of the inner court was always peaceful, as reflective and still as a mirror, seeming to Platinum a window to the heavens. The guardians that flanked it stared up at the sky along with her, their teeth bared and claws flexed to ward away any spirits that would dare sully the purity and sanctity of such a beautiful and holy place. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>On those nights, Platinum liked to look beyond the pool, beyond the statues, and beyond the willows that served as the back gates to the woods that surrounded that half of the palace. The city had been shielded to her, but the woods were an entirely different matter. A blanket of trees and bushes kept most of it from her view, but there was something incredible about it that juxtaposed the palace so brilliantly that Platinum almost found herself wandering too close many a time. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The gnarled trees and thick shrubbery were entirely overgrown, pulsing with life from root to leaf. It was raw, natural, and entirely unhinged, every flower left ravaged by the cruel onward march of life and the struggle to survive. When she stared deep into the woods at night, she swore she could see someone looking back, see eyes of blue and gold, silver and red glinting amongst the trees, beckoning her forward into the unknown. At times, those charismatic eyes made her want to shed her royal obligations and flee into the night, robes and humanity abandoned in the celestial pool. She longed for her nails to shred the bark of trees, for her voice to scream the tuneless melody of the wilderness. She wanted to feel the warmth on her lips of fresh life, to have fear pierce her heart and rage send fire through her veins. Sometimes she wished to be among the glowing eyes in the woods, living truthfully and savagely like the men and beasts from beyond the gates. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon after, however, the shadows would inevitably shift, the winds would blow the pages of her book, and she would find herself back within the walls, curled up in the lap of luxury, wondering why she ever entertained such a foolish thought in the first place. Even still, however, she could not help but reach out to the woods, beckoning them to perhaps come to her if she could not venture into their welcoming shadows. They danced together, yearning mere meters apart and separated only by their inability to truly let go. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Trapped in a gilded cage, the princess longed to walk among monsters. She had not considered, however, that one day the monsters might come to her. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She found her salvation in the two boys that appeared in the kitchens that night. Ever a rebellious child, she snuck down to the kitchen at night in hopes of watching the chefs as they cleaned. She knew not of the strange techniques they used on their pots and pans or what sort of magic they kept hidden within their woks to make everything taste so wonderful, but sometimes she liked to watch from afar as they chatted amongst themselves. Tonight was a night like any other, and thus Platinum wanted her rare glimpse into their world. On her way there, however, she happened to see two figures creeping out of the food pantry. There was no reason for the cooks to be prepping anything at the moment unless their statements about freshness proved to be false, so it seemed strange they would be raiding the pantry in the cover of darkness. Against her better judgement, she decided to approach them and say hello. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was her first mistake. She greeted the two of them warmly, skepticism blooming in the back of her mind. She was sure that she had encountered every member of the royal court at least once, and yet these two men and their bizarre outfits were strangers to her. They were almost comical in their dissimilarities, one tall and thin and the other short and fat. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>They seemed shocked and a little scared that someone had noticed them, so Platinum let her eyes soften as she greeted them once more. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who might you be?” she inquired. The two of them only stared at her, positively stupefied. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am not here to judge,” she assured them. “I only wish to know from whence you came and how you might have gotten here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She motioned with her eyes to the ridiculously large sack thrown over the taller man’s shoulder, overstuffed with various foods— leftovers from last night’s banquet and dry goods, it seemed. It was a rather peculiar menagerie of foods, to be sure. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No person in this palace shall be subject to the taste of stale food as long as I have my say,” she proclaimed, and the two of them lit up immediately. “If perhaps you shall join me in my study for a chat, I shall make sure your hunger is attended to. You two are most peculiar, and I refuse to allow you to leave without at least a spot of tea and a proper introduction.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Absolutely!” the short one purred, gaining a panicked glance from his friend. Platinum clapped her hands together, unable to fight the smile creeping onto her face. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Follow me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They seemed reluctant, especially as she led them near the busier hallways and through the gardens, but Platinum was no fool. She had grown up within these walls, so sneaking about unnoticed was child’s play. They seemed captivated by her stealth, and soon found themselves in her study, the princess sliding them plates of food rich beyond their wildest dreams. For a while she simply watched them eat, marveling at their bizarre appearances. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>To be in the palace with such disheveled hair and no makeup seemed a great sin, especially in full view of the emperor’s daughter. The rudeness of their entire ensemble would embarrass Platinum half to death, and she could not imagine the confidence and status these strange men must have held to set foot in her gardens looking… well… like that. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their robes were terribly mismatched, not at all like the qiu mian she found her attendants dressed in at meetings and ceremonies. It wasn’t terribly with the times either, the round-necked robe draped over with long, embroidered fabric and held together with loose belts and trailing tails. Not to mention the colors-- the muted pastels and clashing hues making a mess of the meanings behind their colors and patterns. Platinum could not make heads or tails of it, to admit, but she presumed she could ask them about it later, when the familiarity set in and such a question wouldn’t be such a royal faux pas. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Even still, she wondered why the taller one had so many yellow hues in his outfit. The pink of his hems and the red of his belt distracted from it, but to wear that color yellow meant royalty. No true member of the royal court looked quite like him, with his sloppy loose rattail and striking, straw colored hair. Coupled with the withering look he was giving her throughout the entire meal, she wondered if perhaps he was some prince or warlord she had yet to meet. She could only pray for the contrary, as greeting such an esteemed guest in this way would shame her for a thousand generations. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The shorter one was a bit less egregious than his taller counterpart, but if her books were to be believed, those muted greys and purples that made up the majority of his robes were so last dynasty. His oversized jacket, untied and covering his hands like a typical maiden of the day made it all the stranger, especially in such an unsaturated blue. Apparently, he noticed her gawking. He cocked his head, the bell on the end of his mask jingling. She had to wonder who could have made such a mask like the one askew on his head. It seemed to move with him, its peculiar feline grin stretching and shrinking along with his expression. Perhaps a foreign style? That was a subject for later. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Miss? Are you worried about something?” he asked. Platinum flashed her most polite smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only intrigued. Are you perhaps foreigners?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“In a way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whereabouts?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And there was the silence. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Somewhere far away,” Diamond eventually replied. “The specifics aren’t important.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He gestured vaguely off into the distance, but Platinum couldn’t help noticing his fingertips. When the sleeve fell back for that brief moment, she could see his nails, long and curled like claws extended over his fingertips. They gleamed in the lantern light, but had disappeared as soon as they appeared. Perhaps it was her imagination, or perhaps another peculiarity of the peasants. Would the same happen to her own hands without daily trimming? Was it a self-defense technique? Another question in the dozens that plagued her about these two men. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And… your names?” she asked hesitantly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That is of no concern of yours,” snapped the taller one, evidently sick of all the identifying information his confident was spilling in exchange for a bite to eat. It seemed his friend wasn’t fazed by the tall’s one tone or snarling. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m Diamond and that’s Pearl!” he said, leaving the taller one to wince and let his shoulders fall. It seemed to Platinum that Pearl had given up completely. As long as Pearl remained as guarded as he did, she would get nowhere. Platinum needed to try something different if she really wanted to unlock the mysteries behind their soft smiles. She reached behind her, a teasing smile on her lips. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I have a question for you." The two of them exchanged a glance. "What are you?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Silence. "If you answer truthfully," she added, "I will give you this."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She presented them with a fruit cake she had nabbed from tonight's banquet, the cream on top still cool. Before Pearl could pull him away, Diamond blurted out his answer. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We are not of your kind," Diamond exclaimed to Pearl's horror. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Ah, I see," she chirped, finally understanding. Of course they were not of her kind. They were not diplomats, traders, warlords, or any of the sort. No, they were something different, the type to never set foot into the palace. Barred from the heavenly treasures within by guards and walls, they were truly, TRULY, something unique and bestial to the eyes of the princess.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"You are peasants!"</span>
</p>
  </div></div>
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